Pins and Needles
by OwliEverWanted
Summary: Every now and again, we find ourselves in need of patching up worn away spots and holes in our lives. Sometimes by reattaching the parts that fell away, and sometimes by replacing it with something new, and stronger. Jackson and Hoodude are an unlikely pair of friends, but both come to realise they're more alike than they thought.
1. Chapter 1

Pins and Needles —

"Every now and again, we find ourselves in need of patching up worn away spots and holes in our lives. Sometimes by reattaching the parts that fell away, and sometimes by replacing it with something new, and stronger."

—

Jackson wasn't one to hold grudges…okay that's a lie, Holt is proof enough that grudges are COMPLETELY acceptable, but rather he was less likely to 'act' on them.

But one thing he didn't cope well with was abandonment and especially without any closure or resolve. His hand shakily prodded the mystery meat on the plate before him and he emitted and tiny squeak of horror when it began to writhe.

He sighed heavily and stared again over at the next table where Frankie sat with the Hybrids today, her new boyfriend (like, the third or fourth one so far since 'pausing' their relationship).

The green ghoul laughed and held onto Neighthan's arm and he smiled down at her as they discussed something, surely sappy and romantic, and it was annoying.

She stretched up to kiss his cheek, and accidentally shocked him. They all laughed even more and Jackson rolled his eyes so hard, he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd fallen out and been gobbled up by the living garbage on his plate.

It wasn't that he hated her…no, he didn't, he COULDN'T, but it still hurt.

First it was Holt. That was at least understandable, in hindsight. They were technically the same person, or at least the same body.

He sighed and got up quickly, and tossed away the probably mutant creature food. In HINDSIGHT, he and Holt should have just agreed to BOTH date her at the same time and maybe this wouldn't be happening to him.

He was led by his own feet aimlessly towards the exit of the creepateria when a jolting pain shot through his left side and he found himself flat on the ground.

Dozens of student laughed and suddenly took notice of him, and he panicked, shuffling to get up but slipping over a few times first.

He wildly looked around in a rage so he could throw whatever had tripped him into the nearest black hole, but then his resolve crumbled when a sad, sloppy mop head gazed up from beside him, a look of shame on his face.

"Oh my ghoul, I'm so sorry Jackson!" He cried, pushing himself up and then offering to help him up too.

But Jackson knew better… He got up on his own not willing to risk pulling them both down again. He brushed himself off and then smiled awkwardly before quickly running the rest of the way out of the room.

'Hoodude', Jackson thought, 'I can't throw Hoodude away,' he chided himself, feeling guilty about his heated anger.

While he didn't know the ragged doll very well, he knew they shared common grounds at least.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Well… Seriously I mean?" The doll reeled off, fretting over him, having followed him diligently from the creepateria.

"What? Uh, no…no I'm fine." He replied, startled at how he'd kept up with his strides. Perhaps being made of materials and not flesh was a bonus when it came to physical endurance.

Hoodude sighed in relief and clasped his sewn hands together, "oh thank goodness! I'm so clumsy all the time!"

He hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry the other monster all laughed at you for it too."

Jackson was a lot calmer now, the incident having proven to distract him well from his toxic dwellings. He grinned sympathetically and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm used to that." He dropped his grin for a moment and rubbed the back of his head, "huh, I'm used to a lot of bad things."

He leaned against the lockers and slid down, grateful that during lunch, there was seldom any other student bodies in the vicinity. He could mope in peace.

Hoodude carefully joined him.

"Speaking of which," the doll began, "I noticed you seemed upset in the creepateria. Hehe, actually, the whole reason I fell over was because I was trying to catch up to you." He admitted.

Jackson spared him a confused look and then glanced at his feet, "Was it obvious? I…I guess I'm just having a bad day." He stuttered out.

It discomforted him a little, either due to the fact that his emotions were so evident, or that Hoodude had been possibly watching him during lunch.

Hoodude shrugged and replied, "it's probably just because, I know what you're feeling right now. It mightn't be obvious to other monsters, but as a lover myself, I couldn't help but notice. You know what I mean, right?" He asked, his button eyes fixed on him, and the fabric of his 'eyebrows' scrunched with worry.

Still a little unnerved, but a little more comfortable now, Jackson smirked and shook his head, "you know, I was just thinking about that earlier."

He rested his chin on his folded arms, which were crossed over his knees, and he mumbled, "I wonder if she even remembers I exist."

"Oh, of course she does. Well, at least I'm sure she isn't doing this on purpose." Hoodude paused, and hummed noncommittally before adding, "well, not to YOU at least. Hehe, at least you got a proper warning before she let you go. I got literally thrown into a trash can!"

Jackson fought back a snort, beating himself up inside, trying to not laugh at the bluntness in his tone.

"Oh, well, yeah I never thought of it that way before!" He admitted, clearing his throat.

Hoodude smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "did you want to talk about it? I'm very good with emotions. I find its my specialty." He offered.

For a long moment Jackson stared into the seemingly lifeless eyes before him, stuck in his mind. While he knew it was good to talk about it, he knew also that he and Hoodude weren't very close soto speak, and so it felt weird to just tell a stranger….

But then again, they DID have common ground.

He hummed, and searched his face a little more, studying the way he smiled softly, and how his facial stitches seems to move with his mood and genuine concern.

"It's okay if you don't want to," he interjected suddenly, a vaguely pained look crossing his cross-stitched features, and he drew his hand away, "I didn't mean to intrude, I mean, if this is a little awkward for you." He said.

Jackson whimpered, having achieved the exact result that he HADNT wished to, and he quickly jumped to console him.

"Oh, no it isn't like that! I, really do appreciate it, but there's just SO MUCH to talk about, and I feel like I'd just be bombarding you with personal stuff…"

He stretched out his legs and unfolded his arms, dropping them into his lap, matching Hoodudes position on the floor, against the lockers.

The sounds of the students in the lunch room seemed so distant and eerie now, echoing creepily through the dimly lit hallways.

Spiders began to scurry away as a few bats made their way through the hall and then the hall returned to its dead state.

"I mean," Jackson began, finally giving in, "it isn't so much that she's moved on. I could handle that, but…she never really broke up with me. Or Holt even, for that matter. She just said she'd take a break and then never bothered to ask us if we were ready to try again. Not even ONCE."

He grunted in frustration, and covered his face with one hand, the other wrapping securely around his waist, "It feels like she just saw some other hot monsters and magically forgot that I'd still been there, waiting for a conclusion… I got no closure at all!"

Hoodude scooted closer to him and sighed, "just like when a story gets discontinued! And you never can know what the end would've been like. Right?" He clasped his hands and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well, I guess you could say that." Jackson muttered, "but at least when a story gets discontinued, the fans can still imagine what ending they wanted and be happy. Can't do that in real life."

Hoodude chuckled and looked at him, his button eyes almost seeming life like in that moment from the way his stitched mouth nudged them up softly with his smile.

"Yeah, like fan fiction?" He asked, and caught Jackson off guard a little.

He laughed and doubled over, and looked at the equally laughing doll beside him, "yeah! Fan fiction for real life would be creepy… Haha, and not in a good way!" He agreed.

"How do you even know what that IS?" Jackson asked, "I was almost content with the delusion I was alone with my terrible fan fictions…"

Hoodude shrugged and replied, "Oh, everyone's written a LITTLE Fic before, it's just not often anyone admits it. You probably wouldn't care for mine though. I'm fond of mainly romance, and other ghouly things like that…"

He frowned rather profoundly, and curled up his legs to his chest.

Jackson looked at him sympathetically, noticing that he actually knew very little about this monster than he'd once liked to think. He was so…FEELING, and dramatic, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Oh, come on, it's okay to like ghouly stuff. I mean, I don't like it personally, but people shouldn't be made to feel bad about what they like." He said.

Immediately the ragged monster perked up and threw himself back into the conversation, "Oh! Really? You think so?" He asked animatedly, and Jackson couldn't help but smile now.

"Yeah! Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad, or you should have to choose to like something you can't fully enjoy."

His mind wandered back to his irrational irritation with Frankie and the way he'd poorly handled her with the Holt situation.

Maybe HE should have been more sensitive to how SHE felt back then. It must've been difficult, loving two boys at the same time. All he and Holt had done was try to force her to choose.

"I should follow my own advice more often." He admitted.

He felt Hoodude pat his shoulder once again, "yes, you're right. She's happy with who she likes right now, and even though it hurts you now, you wouldn't want to force her to change her mind. It wouldn't be right. You wouldn't want that to be done to you, after all."

Jackson looked at him, in silent awe. He really WAS good with the whole feelings thing. He was VERY perceptive too.

"Yeah, I guess that's the way I have to think of it. But… It still hurts. I can't help but feel sidelined. And it doesn't help that I'm already very disadvantaged here, socially, at this school."

"Oh, you're not THAT disadvantaged. You've got a few friends, and your grades are very spectacular!" Hoodude rebutted, "but I understand how things like this can distort how you feel. But just look at me!"

He gestured to himself. "I'm a messy, clumsy voodoo doll, with little control over my powers. I got thrown in a trash can after my whole purpose in life was initially to be a lover. And I have no really close friends, aside from the ghouls who like to include me sometimes. You're doing s lot better than me."

With every word he spoke, Jackson began to feel less and less sorry for himself, and more and more aware that … Maybe other monsters… Other PEOPLE were having it a lot harder.

His brows knit together and he looked away, unable to continue seeing this, happy, bubbly, and gentle doll depreciate himself like that. And for what? To make HIM feel better?

"You know…" He began, "I may not know you very well, but… If you'd like, we can hang out more."

He didn't gain a response, so he continued, "I mean, I guess talking to you today really did help me, but, now that I have I get the feeling…"

The bell suddenly screeched and both boys jolted in shock, scurrying up to their feet, and trying to come back to their senses.

They looked at each other and then towards the creepateria where hundreds of ghouls and monsters would soon be stampeding out of.

"We'd better make a run for our classes before we stuck in the after-lunch rush." Jackson said, and Hoodude hummed in agreement.

He spun on his heel and then began to walk away, but before he could get very far, a sudden squishy, enthusiastic pair of arms embraced him, and he felt the fibres of his mop like hair against the back of his neck as Hoodude buried his face there.

"Oh, Jackson, you can come and talk to me any time! I don't mind!" He whispered, a hint of something Jackson couldn't quite place in his voice.

Hoodude release him before anyone saw, and then hurried off to his own locker, and Jackson stood on the spot for a while, blushing furiously, and suddenly feeling weak in the knees.

It was probably just because it was so sudden, and unexpected, so he tried to brush it aside as he hurried off to get ready for Clawculus.

But as he paused in front of his locker and remembered the…the utter serenity he'd felt, just simply talking to him, and then evaluating this new, and rather positive rush that was filling his person, and made a note in his mind that he'd DEFINITELY be talking to him again.

Maybe they both could work on their love, and self love problems together. He smiled softly and began to gather his books, still confused but for the first time in a while, content


	2. Chapter 2

******************* PART TWO - 2 – For Part One look up the tag #Jekylldude ******************* Not many weeks had passed and Jackson found himself seeking out the aid of his voodoo capable friend a lot more than he'd intended. It at first had begun more like the other way around, in which it was Hoodude who seemed to always know exactly right…and sometimes wrong moments to pop up.

However, truly to his surprise, eventually it became easier to approach him. On such days when he'd be feeling particularly glum over lost love again, or on other days during which he'd be forced to take the repercussions of something Holt did previously to his abrupt awakening, and so on, he would find himself becoming accustomed to sneaking off to discreetly seek consolation and comfort with the sentimental doll.

Hoodude in all honesty was simply grateful for the attention, and it wasn't long before a familiar feeling from within began to take hold of his senses and grasp his mind, as was so easy to do when your sole intention in life was to love.

"Psst…hey, buddy…" Jackson whispered from under a shrub of many other tall, rectangular shrubs that configured around in twisted formations to create the labyrinth like maze in which they both had run into one another.

And were both helplessly lost in, not to mention.

Hoodude gasped, and whirled around. He flung his head in every direction attempting to locate the direction of Jackson's voice, and eventually lost his balance and toppled to the ground where they met face to face.

They stared at each other for a moment and then broke out in silly grins, snickering.

"Ah, I just got away from El Toro back there… I didn't know you were lost in here too!" Jackson commented and he heaved himself out of the bush even further. The prickly branches scratched down his clothing and poked through to his skin unapologetically.

"Here let me help." Hoodude offered, breaking away twigs that seemed to be proving the most uncomfortable and obstructive.

"Thanks, Dude." He muttered and Hoodude smiled softly at the nickname. It wasn't really all that special, since lots of people called him that, but he knew Jackson specifically was using it as a reference to his full name. Most monsters don't even bother to learn it.

"Manny Taur really needs to manage his anger more efficiently!" The voodoo doll declared after Jackson finally was freed from under the hedge.

Jackson snorted, "yeah, try to tell that to his face!" He readjusted his glasses and then sat up, "Some people will just never change."

But Hoodude didn't like that, under his breath he added, "Oh I'm sure a little gentle persuasion could change his mind." As he eyed the many sharp, long pins and needles that protruded from his body.

Luckily Jackson didn't seem to take notice. He patted the ground next to him, inviting him to join him on the grassy ground.

He plopped down gracelessly and leaned his head on his shoulder out of habit, "so, you think we can wait out this physical deaducation class? I'm pretty sure they send out rescue gargoyles to retrieve lost students at the end of class." He said, hoping that they could just sit there and talk, undisturbed and isolated.

Looking around them, the normie hummed in agreement, quite frankly too tired to do much more.

"Well, at least I won't be lost and alone." He said.

They sat quietly for a while. They did this most often, usually because it was less the talking by now, and more simply the company that they enjoyed from each other.

"I just don't get why people are so mean to you" Hoodude said finally, mindlessly reaching up and gently touching his human friend's scraped and grazed face, "it just isn't fair. You're such a good person!" He said.

Jackson blushed and shifted a little, still unused to the forward gestures of affection Hoodude was prone to expressing. Well, actually, in the back of his mind he'd been craving the cuddles as the memory of their first hug was still fresh in his mind.

He'd sought out several more since then, but for some reason it only was embarrassing when Hoodude was fussing over him like this.

"I'll be f-fine…" He fought back, weakly. He grabbed the dolls hand from his face and they dropped their arms to the space between them on the ground, still connected at the hand.

His blush hadn't waned yet and he stiffly sat there debating whether or not he wanted to let go. He eventually did pull himself free from the friendly grasp and then folded his arms. He really didn't want to let go.

Honestly, with all the spare lessons wasted cuddling and chattering away, and all the close calls they'd wriggled themselves out of only to be stuck in a locker or a dungeon or a maze for sometimes hours, it was safe to say… He might just have a little, liiiiiiiittle crush on him.

Hoodude didn't, for once, let his displeasure go unnoticed as their hands were separated this time however but allowed it anyway. Jackson held back his amusement, and cleared his throat discreetly.

"You say you'll be fine, but it's bothering me anyway." He protested. "I've got a couple of things I'd like to do to all these jerks who push you around! If I didn't know any better I'd fight them myself." He continued.

Jackson looked at him for a moment, concerned. He'd acted on silly ideas like that before and it had landed them both in the nurses office getting stitches.

"Hoodude, they're stronger than both of us, and I don't want you fighting my battles. Besides, I don't like how they treat YOU either. So you're best bet is to just let them stay jerks." He said.

"Uh, no…" Hoodude responded, spitting out a kind of sass that Jackson wasn't used to seeing, "I know my policies don't allow for violent reactions, but when it's personal I think I can make a few exceptions! And I don't care if you don't want me getting involved." He crossed his arms dramatically and huffed at him.

He was truly taken aback, his mouth ajar and unaware of how to respond for a moment. Then gradually the blush from before began to rise up and he grinned a tiny bit, "Personal, huh? You really fuss over me too much, Dude" he chided teasingly.

The doll huffed again and looked away, blatantly ignoring his cuteness. Or at least that's what he kept chanting in his head to do.

Jackson laughed a little and then unapologetically yanked him in to his arms and hugged him tightly, sitting a little further upright and taking him by genuine surprise, "Look, I've already tried revenge and it only gets me in more trouble. But, really, I am glad you care so much. But just trust me, I'll be okay." He spoke into his shoulder.

Softened, and ultimately unable to stay cross at him for very long, he wriggled his arms free and squished them around him as tight as he could.

"Oh, I'm sorry I got carried away. I can't help but care about people too much. It's a curse." He admitted.

Jackson drew back his face and looked at him, knowingly, "Oh, I think you wouldn't be this outraged about just ANY person…" He said, placing a hand on his cheek, flicking his thumb across a grass smudge on his fabric face.

"Oh, stop it! You're making me blush!" He protested, before remembering that was physically impossible, "well, at least I would be if I could!" He corrected.

Jackson smirked and then hugged him again before letting go and they both flopped onto their backs on the ground.

They linked hands, a little less afraid to now. It was nice, actually, Jackson thought. It was nice to have a friend that he could just cuddle up to and hold hands with and talk about feels with and not have to worry about judgement.

They were just two dudes, that liked each other a lot and it was as simple as that.

The thoughts of taking it further did cross Jackson's mind here and there, but to be honest, he didn't want to ruin the tempo of their friendship by trying to rock the boat too early. The voyage had only just set sail, and the seas were calm for now so there was no need to rush.

"Jackson, really though, if your ever in trouble and I'm nearby, I'm willing to do whatever I can to help." Hoodude said finally.

"Ha, yeah, don't worry," he smirked, "I already know how you 'conveniently' fall over and smash your hands into lockers to buy me time. Real slick, Mr. Voodoo." He responded.

Hoodude chuckled and waved his free hand at him, "At least I'm getting good practice on learning to control my powers!" He retorted.

They both laughed and then returned to silence as they awaited the class to end.

******************* Authors Notes- *******************

So! Part two of my casual fic (with little to no plot, just fluff) is finally done. I messed around with the setting and outcome of this little ficlet about four times before settling on pure, semi-platonic fluff. No stitched smooches yet, just hand holding and squishy cuddles because taking your time is important in a relationship IMO


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Notes: I got sucked so far into the trash can, I think I've already landed in Grouchland, with fucking Elmo and the dumpster Queen's musical number. That is how trash I am for this ship.

Just to start off, they've probably been hanging out and bonding over nerdy and/or angsty-deep things etc for half the year by this chapter. I do big time skips since most of the in-betweenness of their story would be mundane school life, and a lot of useless filler. It's a lot easier to write like this, especially since there is intentionally little plot at all.

Thanks for reading and fave/reblogging you guys are my trash minions and I love you!

XxXxXxX

Whilst it was commonly known that the monster world was very progressive and openly encouraged mingling in between race and species, something felt...special about their case. They mutually agreed it wouldn't be a good idea for the others to know yet.

They were each other's safety net. They were each other's alibis and staplers, and distractions to keep danger away long enough for them both to weasel out of it, and everything was good.

If everyone knew how close they were, not only would the teasing be insufferable, but also they'd lose their biggest asset in terms of high school survival.

But some things couldn't be hidden or avoided sadly. Hoodude was, after all, a voodoo doll, and a very sentimental guy. Whomever he focussed his mind on or held the property of, the injuries or pain inflicted on him would be transferred to. Jackson was his best friend, and by far a close one, so naturally this could lead to some very painful predicaments.

Today was such a day on which this proved to be... all too unfortunately true.

"AAAH!" Jackson felt himself tumbling backwards as a horrific sharp pain shot through his gut, and he went flying down the stairs, knocking over several other monsters in the process.

"OH GOSH!" He yelped again as the pain returned and then his breath felt as if it was about to leave him as the jolting agony repeatedly afflicted him. He couldn't even get up off the floor.

Was it something he ate? Could this be some weird supernatural experience, like possession? Was Holt trying to rip free from his body or something? No, no, and triple no. They'd had all of that tested, his mother had made sure of it. This had been happening for ages now and no one could figure out why.

"AAAH!" He doubled over as he tried to stand up, grasping onto the banister for help. Some students were still watching him, some in amusement and others in confusion.

"Jackson, are you okay?" A familiar voice drew nearer.

He gasped for air and glanced up at Neighthan whom he'd seemingly knocked over with everyone else. Very Neighthan-typical.

He tried to respond but the pain in his guts was just a bit too harsh.

A bluish glow zapped his stomach and suddenly the pain was gone, as Neighthan decided it was probably a good idea to intervene.

"There's nothing to see here, he's okay guys and ghouls!" He waved off everyone else as he helped up Jackson and began to walk off to a more open area.

Jackson could still feel the pain but it had been numbed partially by the zombicorn's healing magic.

"Wow, dude are you feeling alright? That was some pretty nasty groaning and writhing back there." He asked as they sat down on a vacant bench.

Jackson looked up at him, frightfully. Although grateful for his assistance, he'd never really held very nice thoughts about him. He felt terribly guilty now in hindsight.

"Uh, yeah, I fell a little bit better but...owwww..." He clutched his stomach and bent over a little, "I just keep getting suddenly injured and hurt for no apparent reason! This is the third time today it's happened, and I can figure it out! It's been going on all week!"

The zombicorn zapped him again, for good measure, and Jackson sighed heavily with relief as the pain went down by half again.

"Wow, you should seriously get that checked out. Is this some kind of normie thing? Or do you think there's something else going on?" He skied, still concerned.

Jackson hummed, and thought very thoroughly about the possibilities.

"No I'm quite sure this isn't a normie thing. I think this is a 'Jackson-only' thing. The doctors can detect any signs of injury at all and I'm not sick. We even went to an exorcist and they said that it was not a demon. This sucks..."

Neighthan joined him in further deep thought. They sat for a while, and Jackson quietly enjoyed his silent, faint pains the best he could before they were sure to explode again into bigger, newer pains.

"Say," Neighthan said finally after noticing the missing pocket off the pants of Jackson's right leg, "do you think it's Hoodude?"

Jackson's heart stopped beating for a moment and he flushed a bright red, scooting away from the zombicorn in panic.

He followed his gaze to the missing pocket and his already aching stomach twisted as suddenly the answer to it all came flooding through. Early last week he had patched up he poor doll's stomach with the pocket of his pants because he didn't have any other fabric available to fix the massive hole that had worked its way into Hoodudes exterior. That explained EVERYTHING, but what was discomforting was Neighthan being able to deduct that.

He decided to play dumb.

"Huh? Uh, no? Why would you ask that? That's silly, he never even talks to me! Why...why would he have such a grudge against me to ...do these terrible things to me?" He said, over acting just a little in his anxiousness.

Neighthan looked him dead in the eye and raised his eyebrows skeptically, "Never talks to you? Jackson, you guys are connected at the hip! Or, well, the stomach I guess in this case." He replied.

This was it. This was the end. The normie felt all life and willingness to live slowly draining from his skin in embarrassment. They were ...THAT obvious?

"N-no...no, we aren't.." He muttered, hugging his chest uncomfortably.

His gaze didn't waver. "Dude, it's okay! Only me and Frankie sort of figured it out. We're just perceptive like that, and Hoodude and you are BOTH close friends of Frankie so it was easy to guess. You two have been acting weird and stuff lately after all."

Jackson whimpered, and hung his head, "We thought it would be awkward to explain to people...I guess this just proves we were right..."

Neighthan laughed and shook his head, "No, it's okay! There's nothing to be ashamed of!"

Jackson looked up at him, and made a noise of vague disagreement.

"You two make a cute couple, actually!" He finished

Jackson screamed, and skittered off of the bench despite his rising pains, "WH-what? No we're just friends! Just two, really, close, friends! That's all!" He defended, trying to will the rushing blood out of his face.

Neighthan shrugged, not really buying it but deciding to not worsen the normie's condition any further, "Okay! So we made a few assumptions. But still, at doesn't hide the fact that I've seen YOUR pocket on Hoodude's stomach in the past week. You should...probably find him and get that checked."

Jackson nodded furiously and grunted in frustrated agreement. Neighthan began to get up and walk away, but before he did he added, "And you know, even if you guys aren't a couple, you do make a nice pair. You help each other out a lot. It's good to have friends like that."

The halls went silent as the congestion died down and most students were already off into their classes now. Jackson decided to wait a little longer.

In this moment, he knew that he definitely needed to do something now.

While he genuinely hadn't been lying about how he and Hoodude's relationship status was, Neighthan was onto something. They were very much a good pair, and it was kind of a nice thought.

The phantom memory of soft, warm fabric pressed next to his face, and imprints of yarn-hair stuck into his cheeks from falling asleep, cuddling and talking about life and school, and comic books.

The pains had subsided now, but he didn't know if that was the unicorn powers or merciful coincidence. He sighed and his heart beat returned to normal. He hugged his knees and rested his face on them, thinking about it.

Did he love Hoodude? Or was it just a mutual, affectionate albeit, desire to not be weak and lonely? Maybe it was a bit of both.

He couldn't decide.

A soft shadow loomed over him suddenly, and he looked up, smiling instantly, "Oh, hey Dude! I was just... thinking about you..." He said quietly.

Hoodude looked very concerned and he clasped his hands with worry, "I heard you were FEELING me too...I mean, like, my powers going wild again..hehe...Neighthan ran into me and tipped me off that your pocket on me was causing you pain..."

He crouched down and rested in front of his normie friend. Jackson loosened his posture into a criss-cross position and chuckled, "yeah, actually I feel silly now for not realising it earlier. I guess we ought to find you a new patch to use."

Hoodude touched his stomach and sympathetically reached over to rub Jackson's still sore stomach, "Oh, I should have been more careful. I just can't stop thinking about you." He admitted quietly.

"Well, it wasn't that...it was the patch on your stomach. But...thanks for thinking about me? I guess?" He replied, a little flustered again.

The voodoo doll grabbed his hands from his sides and held them, shaking his head, "No, it was both actually. Some monsters were saying mean this about you and..." He choked up a little, despite being unable to truly cry.

"Oh, Dude, why did you do that? That's biting off way more than you can chew!" Jackson cried, grabbing his shoulders and looking at him.

"You don't need to do that for me...your only getting us BOTH hurt!" He said.

He was always afraid this would happen. He was afraid they'd use their friendship as an excuse to torment them both with each other, and he knew that Hoodude was a very sensitive soul. This wasn't good for either of them.

"But, Jackson, I couldn't just stand it anymore! I can't hear those bullies lies about you! And I promised you I would try to not use my powers for bad things!"

He threw his hands over his face and wept into them. Jackson pulled him in slowly and shushed him.

He was so used to the sensation of pin pricks in the usual places, the shoulders and heart, that he was able to tell the difference between Hoodude's pins and real pain. He pressed him close and reassured him.

"I'm sorry, they kept beating me up harder because they thought I could feel it! But no matter how much I tried to redirect the pain, I kept thinking about you instead!" He blubbered quietly.

Jackson sucked in a big breath trying to not cry too, but he was failing a little. He let go of his rag doll friend for a moment and took off his glasses, before silently looking around the hallway.

Still empty.

Hoodude went to speak again, but Jackson took his face and placed his lips onto the strange, worn stitches that connected his.

His heart jolted the same way it had when Frankie had kissed him the first time, or when Claire did a few years back. It was the same feeling, and he'd missed it.

Overwhelmed, Hoodude squished him into another tight hug and kissed him back. It was just a sweet, innocent little thing, and it was perfect for them. Because that's what their love was really.

Just sweet and innocent, and they smiled at each other when they broke off.

Giggling, Hoodude shot up and tugged Jackson's arm to get up faster. He complied, and they made a dash for the catacombs because they were going to need more privacy if they wanted to kiss again before class was out.

Which they did, very much.

XxXxXxX

More Author's Notes:

I want to clarify, their relationship has evolved from 'two loners wanting company/acceptance' into 'two loners wanting company and acceptance exclusively from each other in a special, innocent way'

Look at those little dorks, all angsty and at the same time, grossly adorable and fluffy.

Like I said, by now, they've sort of gotten to the point where close friends of theirs like Frankie, and Neighthan have begun to assume things. I'm going to introduce a few other canon characters into this mix later who do the same thing! So prepare for more monsters for me to attempt to vaguely portray correctly! And lots of awkward nerdieness!


End file.
